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Thursday, October 6, 2011

The Difference in Success and Significance

I was reading this month’s issue of Success Magazine the article by Darren Hardy, the publisher and editorial director, really made me think. He wrote,

“As a society, I think we often misunderstand the word success. Our society celebrates those who obtain fame, wealth, power and celebrity, no matter the means – ethical or not – and we call them successful. Success is often equated to an achieved status, rather than to a measure of value or contribution.”

I started to think about the kids who enroll at StarShine. Many of the students who enroll do so because they have not been successful elsewhere. When a student enrolls at the school we ask him this question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and then we have the student create a vision map.

When students first enroll, the vision maps they create are generally centered on things they want, like a car, house or jewelry. Many of the students equate ‘stuff’ with success. That is fine for a start, but as the students continue to attend StarShine, I see their perception of success changing. Students who have attended a StarShine School go from asking themselves this question, “What does it mean to be successful?” to “How do I become a significant person?” This evolution is a huge focus of the school.

So – thank you Darren Hardy for sharing your thoughts on success and significance and for publishing an outstanding thought provoking magazine!